St. Claire's Church

St. Claire's Church - 9:00 AM

"...give us today your daily bread and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Do not bring us to the test but deliver us from evil, Amen."

Christopher made a sign of the cross after finishing his morning prayers before standing up from his kneeling position in front of the altar. It has been and always will be a practice for him to pray to the Almighty One for guidance, forgiveness, and gratitude for allowing them to see another morning. Unfortunately for the deacon, not all of the survivors shared his trust to the Lord and felt that prayers were unnecessary. A majority of them abandoned the concept of God, thinking that if there was one he wouldn't have plunged the world into this catastrophe or that he has abandoned his people. Christopher does not believe that was the case... this was just a test for humanity and he was certain that God will not abandon them. In any case, he respects the view of his fellow survivors and continues to treat them with kindness and equality despite their differing views.

After concluding his prayers, Christopher went about the task of consulting the survivors to see if anything was amiss among them. Fortunately, most of them were okay for now though there were those who were asking for flu medicine. They have been struggling with the disease for a couple of weeks now and even the deacon had experienced it firsthand. Flu traveled easily in such confined living conditions so when someone had it, everyone else will soon enough. Medicine was running low too and they still had a week to wait before the GIEI delivers their supply of necessities once more... assuming that it will not be delayed. An alternative would be searching the hospital and pharmacy nearby but their actions were limited due to the threat far deadlier than the infected; the Steel Wolves.

A few months ago, they were in constant attack from the Steel Wolves, their food and supplies being extorted and survivors from St. Claire's being abducted and killed out of pure amusement. It was certainly hard times for the survivors but all of the sudden, the attacks have stopped and they enjoyed a month free from any Steel Wolves activity and then another, and then another. They never let their guard down though even if the wolves remain silent and some of the survivors started arming themselves in case such a scenario happens again, much to Christopher's chagrin. He hated violence and bloodshed even if it meant survival but he certainly wouldn't impose those principles to the other survivors since this was a harsh world that had no room for such mellow views.

"I am terribly sorry but we are in a shortage of flu medicine right now. We do have some Vitamin C supplements. It will have to do for now." replied Christopher to one of the survivors asking for medication.

With his rounds on the ground floor done, he ascended into the belfry where Pablo was keeping watch. He was hoping that he had managed to spot new survivors amidst the ruined city. They have not seen one for quite some time now.

"Have you good news for us, Pablo?" asked the deacon.

"Unfortunately no, Brother Hale. The streets have remained silent for a while now. No infected, no survivors, no wolves." replied Pablo.

"I see." uttered Christopher in a slightly disappointed tone. "In that case, you may take a break Pablo. Get something to eat downstairs and sleep."

"Thank you brother." nodded Pablo before heading downstairs.

Christopher remained in the belfry, staring out into the desolate expanse that was Ashcroft, hoping to see any sign of life.

Ceely had fallen asleep at the back of the church, she was laying down in one of the pews and had her handgun lay on her stomach. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since well… Since the virus had hit. She was grateful the church had taken her in; if it wasn’t for Brother Hale she probably would have ended up like her grandmother. Ceely fell into a deeper sleep after what seemed to be forever and immediately dreamed of her grandparents again. This time the dream was one of a happier memory she remembered having with them. Her grandfather had brought her along fishing and her grandmother had come along to teach her how to make s’mores. She was about eleven at this time. In the dream, her grandfather and her were out on the lake, her grandmother sat on the shore knitting as usual and they had their lines cast out already. The dream Ceely looked up at her grandfather as he was reeling in his line.

That’s when the dream changed.

Her grandfather wouldn’t meet her eyes, nor would he even look at her. His eyes looked clouded over and his back was hunched over his fishing pole. Ceely’s smiled dropped into one of shock and she backed away. Her grandfather turned his head towards her, his mouth was open showcasing off his new set of razor sharp teeth. His skin was pale gray and he looked deranged as he slowly approached young Ceely. Ceely looked around for a way to escape, but they were in the middle of the lake and she couldn’t swim. Just then her grandfather lunged at her and she let out a blood curdling scream.

Ceely awoke screaming and she quickly sat upright in the pew. Other survivors around her looked over at her; some even held their guns up at her. She gave everyone a shaky grin and swung her legs off the pew. “Sorry… Bad dream…” she muttered out. Everyone then returned to what they were doing after watching her for a few minutes. Ceely resisted the urge to cry and wiped at her eyes. Every time she slept; that same thing happened.

As the deacon observed the empty streets, the sound of a gunshot wailed in the southern area of Ashcroft. He was torn between relief and worry as to the origin of that noise. A gunshot in Ashcroft only meant two things; a survivor fighting his way through the city, or a wolf gunning down something... or someone. Christopher hoped that it wasn't the latter. He closed his eyes and spoke a short prayer in his mind, asking for divine intervention in guiding would-be survivors to this place or to at least be able to leave town in one piece. But his meditation was cut short when he heard a powerful scream from inside the church, causing him to jerk in surprise and knock down a tin mug full of water.

Calming himself and preparing for the worst, Christopher headed down the belfry and asked one of the other survivors to keep watch up above while he checked out the source of the scream. Descending to the mass hall, he noticed that the people were surprisingly calm as if nothing happened... maybe nothing did? Approaching Elena, a kind woman in her 50s who was tasked with nursing injured and ill survivors, the deacon asked for the source of the scream.

"I heard a scream. Is everything okay?"

"Oh yes, it is just young Ceely. She's probably had a nightmare, the poor dear." replied Elena.

"I see. Thank you, Elena. I'll go see if she's okay."

With that, he asked around where the young girl was and he was pointed to one of the corner pews where Ceely was sitting, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. He slowly made his way to the girl, making sure that she could easily see him in front of her so as to not surprise the already shaky girl. "Are you okay, Ceely? I heard you scream just a while ago" asked Christopher, a concerned look in his face. She was certainly not the first to have a rude awakening like this. Each and every one of these survivors have a traumatizing story to tell and nightmares like this seems to stem from that trauma. As for Ceely though, she seems to have it harder than the others when it comes to these nightmares.

Christopher wished he could do more for her as well as everyone else going through this kind of thing. Time is the best way to heal wounds like this but he can't help but wonder if that was enough.

Ceely saw Brother Hale slowly approach her. She didn’t want him seeing her like this, she was known more for her cheeriness and spreading hope through the church. Not crying about a silly nightmare that spooked her. She sniffled a bit and wiped some of the tears from her eyes before speaking, “I’m all right… It was a stupid nightmare”

She pulled at her shirt so it covered up her bruised shoulder, one of her hands held her pistol as if it was the one thing keeping her alive. Ceely couldn’t meet his gaze; she was too afraid of crying in front of him.” Does anyone need any cheering up Mr. Hale?” She asked in an almost childlike voice. Again, she wiped at her eyes before looking up at him; forcing a fake cheery smile.

"As a matter of fact, I do." replied Christopher with a warm smile before holding his hand out to Ceely. "And perhaps I can help cheer her up?"

So selfless... Ceely had no doubt earned the deacon's respect due to her desire to cheer up the other survivors despite the fact that she was in despair. It was very admirable and made the deacon more inspired into helping her get over her nightmare or at the very least bring a smile to her lips.

"Perhaps a breath of fresh air will do just the thing." he suggested.

There was plenty of people patrolling around to spot danger and besides, they've already finished constructing the barricade to keep out the infected from entering the church grounds. Unlike the Steel Wolves who had a more complex and secure base defenses, theirs were simple and crude. Several steel fences and walls that they salvaged from the GIEI outpost were put up into a wall that encircled the church, a fraction of the park, and half of the cemetery. The Johnson's home is used as an outpost for scouts to keep watch of any danger coming from the northwest part of town while a mausoleum in the cemetery served the same purpose for the south. Their security was considerably tighter on that area since the Steel Wolves are far more dangerous than the infected.

"Come. It is too bright of a morning to be holed up here. Let us seize this beautiful day." and with that, the deacon made his way to the front doors of the church and made his way to the streets, nodding at the other survivors he came across.

Christopher only knew one thing that could heal Ceely's scarred heart and psyche and that was someone who can replace the void left by his grandparents. A close friend perhaps that would be able to chase the gloom and pain brought by this ruthless world and make memories that she'll cherish. It would be easy for Ceely since she was a friendly face but he was unsure if the girl was ready to open herself up and let another person into her life.

Looking up into the surprisingly blue sky, he let out a grateful sigh before looking back to check if Ceely had followed.

Ceely smiled and picked herself up, then pushed her bangs back out of her face. She followed Brother Dante close behind him, not exactly wanting to walk beside him in case the urge to cry again resurfaced. As she followed him outside, her hand immediately went to her back pocket, looking for her other pistol she had gotten off a dead police officer; but that was with someone else at the moment.

She rubbed at her eyes again, and sighed. She remembered how beautiful Ashcroft used to be, remembering when she was growing up; Noah’s park was her favourite place to go right after having mass. Or how her high school graduation was held in town’s square instead of at the small school. Ceely heaved a big sigh and ran a hand through her messy hair. Ashcroft went from being her home to a place where all hell broke loose.

“Mr. Dante, who exactly am I cheering up? I don’t want to come off too strong like I did with Mr. Harris” She remembered how her overwhelming personality made him resent her a bit which led into him lecturing her on how hell has boiled over and how she was just helping it along with having so much hope or how her happiness was not needed in these times. Ceely felt a little down after that had happened but she quickly recovered when she was asked to play with some of the little kids.

(Cleverfox: I think you made a teeny mistake there with calling Christopher as Dante X'D)

Christopher let out an amused chuckle when Ceely asked once more who she needed to cheer up. As selfless as she was, she's definitely the one who needs to smile right now. He turned towards the girl and placed a hand on top of her head.

"Haha, you're the one we're cheering up here, Ceely." answered the deacon before drawing his hand away. "You've been through so much and I think its only fitting that we repay you for what you're doing for us." continued Christopher as they continued towards the memorial park. "And with that said, I am all yours for the whole morning. Feel free to talk to me about anything and everything you--"

"Hey there! Is this a safe haven?"

The deacon's attention was quickly yanked away from Ceely as his eyes darted to the direction of the voice. It was coming from the graveyard and it certainly was an unfamiliar one. His heart started to flutter in excitement and delight at the thought of another survivor making it here in one piece. Squinting his eyes to get a better look at who was calling them, Christopher saw a young girl near the barricade set up by his fellow survivors. He raised his voice for his response to make sure that whoever had called their attention would be able to hear him properly.

"It is, we have a safe house here with plenty of supplies. Please come in."

With that, he called out next to the men patrolling the graveyard to let whoever was coming in pass. One of them went over and unlocked the metal gate leading into the church grounds. He then turned to Ceely with a bright expression on his face. That meant that there could be more people alive out there and was a sure sign that life continued despite the fact that the end of days has come.

Georgiana felt a huge weight lift off her chest. It was like this one time in her high school gym class when her teacher made her lift 80 pounds (much more than she could normally handle) with no spot to guide her. She got to just eight reps, and then suddenly she dropped it. She still had her hands on it, so not all the weight was put on her ribs, but it was enough. She felt bone cracking and gasped in vain for breath as she started to black out. She remembered everyone around her ran to her aide to get it off here, and it felt like she weighed as much as a feather when she no longer had all the weight pressing down on her. It didn't feel too good back then, but it was a wonderful feeling now.

"It is, we have a safe house here with plenty of supplies. Please come in," the man, priest, said. She watched as he motioned for some other survivors to open the barricade for her and a million thoughts ran through her mind. I can finally sleep safely in a warm bed. And get actual food! And maybe even a shower and a change of clothes! Damn, that would be nice. I smell awful. She grinned and thanked the people who let her in. Then she warily walked over to the more important looking people to introduce herself.

"H-hi. My name is Georgiana Grey. I came from Phoenix, Arizona. Where exactly are we now?" she started to offer her hand but realized it was still clutching her katana, her knuckles white from how hard her grip was. She quickly put it away and blushed. "Sorry about that." She wiped the sweat off her hand and once again extended it to them.

Christopher was glad to see the relieved expression in the girl's face as she was let in. She looked like she's been through hell and back if her disheveled and weathered look would be a reference. Then again, almost every survivor that arrived in their doorstep looked a lot like this girl right here. Perhaps the only thing that differentiates her is the light that was still in her eyes. That was good as the church could use more balls of sunshine like her.

"H-hi. My name is Georgiana Grey. I came from Phoenix, Arizona. Where exactly are we now?" she started to offer her hand but realized it was still clutching her katana, her knuckles white from how hard her grip was. She quickly put it away and blushed. "Sorry about that." She wiped the sweat off her hand and once again extended it to them.

"It's very nice to meet you Georgina. I am Christopher and this young lady here is Ceely." replied the deacon, extending his hand to accept the handshake only for it to be taken back by the girl. He let out a soft amused chuckle when she went and wiped her hand first before extending it for their interrupted handshake which Christopher gladly accepted. "You're in Ashcroft, somewhere between Colorado and Wyoming." answered Christopher when asked where they were currently at. Sometimes, he too tends to forget where they were as the Ashcroft he once knew was so different from the wasteland that it was right now. "You must be exhausted and hungry sister. Please come in and rest easy. You can be sure of the safety here." smiled the deacon before turning to Ceely.

A thought then came into mind. Georgina seemed to be a good person to be around Ceely. Perhaps she was just what the hurting girl needed to chase away the blues.

"Ceely, can you be a dear and show Georgina around? And I'm sorry if our little stroll in the park will have to wait." requested Christopher, the second part coming out in a more apologetic tone.

( Sorry, missed a day. School's back and all >.< )

Ceely grinned at the girl before looking back at Brother Hale. She didn’t actually expect anyone to find the church of for that matter the whole town. Ashcroft was quite smaller than most towns or states and it didn’t really have any tourist attractions either.

She looked back at the girl and stuck out her own hand to her, “It’s good to know someone my age survived other than me” Ceely was the only one she knew that was nineteen, and was about to start collage. She didn’t even get to become a freshman.

She turned to Brother Hale when he addressed her, then smiled sadly and shrugged. “ It’s okay Mr. Hale. I’ll just come and get you if I want that walk” With that said, she turned to the girl and winked. “ It’s pretty boring around here, I’m the only source of entertainment”

Chris was glad to see the two quickly getting along with each other. They would certainly benefit each other in the long run and it was a lot more easier to get through these trying times with a friend beside you. When the thought of friendship crossed his mind a pang of pain came over the deacon. He pushed it away for now though when Georgina asked where she could freshen up for the meantime.

"Ah yes. Thankfully we still have running water here in Ashcroft. The washroom is in the back of the church and there are plenty of fresh clothes here that you can change to. I'll have Juana bring you some while you wash yourself." replied Christopher before seeing the girls go off to their destination.

Walking back to the church, his mind went back again to ruminating and reminiscing. Of course, he had plenty of friends here in the church but there was one in particular that held a special place in his heart... a bestfriend as one may put it. He met him during the first days of the outbreak here in Ashcroft and it was completely by chance. They got each others backs and he would not be standing here right now if it weren't for this bestfriend of his. However, a wedge was driven between them due to their different principles and caused a falling out between their friendship. While he was resolute with helping other survivors in need, he was only concerned with their own survival and refused to take chances.

He had to wonder if this friend of his was still alive. If so, where could he be right now? He sincerely wished that nothing bad had befallen his friend and that they would be able to meet again someday. More than anything, he wished that his friend would be able to see this whole thing through and live to see the day when everything would return back to normal. Christopher found himself looking at the ring that this friend had given him. It was a pretty ordinary silver ring that lacked any design whatsoever; just a simple silver loop that wrapped around his ring finger. Despite its simple appearance, it represented the strong bond that he and the other man shared.

He was finally able to locate Juana after a minute or so of asking around. She too was quite the helpful presence here at St. Claire's much like Ceely. She was a teacher at St. Claire's Elementary and one of the first people to take refuge here. Christopher had a lot of respect for her since even though rescue had already come here twice, she never agreed to come along and preferred to stay at St. Claire's to help more survivors.

"Juana, we have a new guest joining us today. Might you provide her some clean clothes?" asked the deacon.

"Of course brother Hale. How old is she?" asked Juana.

"Perhaps seventeen or so. She's a lot like Ceely actually."

"I see. We still have plenty of clothes here for that body type. There's not enough people to wear them anyways." chuckled Juana.

"Wonderful. Thank you so much, Juana." smiled Christopher.

The serenity of the church was suddenly stirred when several gunshots wailed outside the chapel, sending shivers down Christopher's spine. The survivors wailed in a frightened manner and scampered for a place to hide. The deacon quickly ascended up into the bellfry to see what was going on, his heart going on overdrive due to fear and worry.

"Juan, what is going on?" asked Christopher to the watchman.

"Brother... The wolves are coming here! They've killed our patrol men!" replied Juan before ducking into a safer spot where he cannot possibly be shot.

"What?!" gasped Christopher, the blood in his face draining.

If that was true then they were in serious trouble right now. He didn't understand this sudden aggression... he thought that the wolves have finally changed their ways. The deacon descended back to the first floor to meet the raiders and stop any further bloodshed from occurring. He just hoped that they were in a bargaining mood if anything else.

"Everyone, remain calm. Stay low and hidden. I'll take care of this." reminded Christopher before stepping out of the large oak double doors of the chapel and letting the men lock it up.

The deacon took a deep breath as he watched the group of armed men approaching the chapel. He mentally prayed to the Lord to give them the strength and overcome this grim situation. When the wolves were close enough to Christopher, they aimed they guns at him to which the man responded by raising his arms.

"We are not here to fight." stated Christopher, lowering his arms as the men did with their weapons. "Why have you come here?"